Your vision of the future of Freemasonry |
Presented at the Vancouver Grand Masonic Day, October 18, 2000 by W. Bro. Philip Durell, Maple Leaf Lodge No. 74 The Work of the Masonic CommissionIntroductionRight now you are probably thinking, as I did, “What? Another Commission/Committee looking into the future of Freemasonry?” In the last decade we have had three such bodies: 1. 1991 The Special Committee on Retaining Membership, 2. 1994 The Craft Review Committee, 3. 1997 The Masonic Advancement Committee. For such an important theme it is impossible for us to succeed on an intermittent basis. All of these bodies did an enormous amount of work in one year, but who of you can remember any of the recommendations that were made and passed by Grand Lodge that have made a difference in your Lodge? It is not that good recommendations were not made but that in all but a few instances (e.g. Master’s & Warden’s Leadership Training, Community Relations Committee) the execution and commitment to them has been intermittent and sporadic. How many of you know that the Grand Lodge has a Strategic Plan? And if you do, what is contained in it? What is the Grand Lodge Mission Statement? See, we are true to our secrets! I did not deliberately set out to be negative, but perhaps a little provocative, to set the stage for why a Masonic Commission that has a multi-year mandate is necessary for the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon. Note the Mission Statement: The Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon as the parent organization of Freemasons in this jurisdiction, promotes and advances the Masonic fraternity and serves as a support system for individual Lodges. It does this by:
The best way that I can outline to you our mandate is to read to you an excerpt from our Grand Master, M.W. Brother John T. Harper’s, installation address. Having identified the key principles of our focus as Freemasons as: knowledge, improvement, support and attitude the Grand Master identified ten strategies through which to put the key principles of our focus to work. He went on to say, “We can begin, by listening and talking to each other. In a world where the speed of change outside our Craft is greater than it is within, and where our membership is declining at an increasingly rapid rate, it is imperative to initiate a dialogue about our future. Therefore, we will establish a travelling Masonic Commission to conduct improvement workshops throughout this jurisdiction to focus on your ideas about what is important to our future. We will listen to your concerns and suggestions. We will act on the recommendations of the Masonic Commission. And we will build a common agenda for the future. I believe that the process used in these regional meetings, one that encourages enlightened discussion, may prove to be as valuable in bringing our fraternity together as the information gathered.”I should also point out that our Deputy Grand Master, R.W. Bro. James C. Gordon has committed to extend the Commission’s mandate through 2001-2002. The Structure of the Masonic CommissionFor the Commission to have any success it was necessary to have representation throughout the jurisdiction. The M.W. Grand Master appointed the following: R.W. Bro. Murray Webster, ChairmanPrince Rupert W. Bro. Jack BarrLower Mainland Bro. Gerry BrumptonKelowna Bro. Bill CaveQuesnel W. Bro. Alan CrossNanaimo W. Bro. Philip DurellLower Mainland W. Bro. Doug EastonVictoria M.W. Bro. Clark GilmourLower Mainland Bro. Richard TrippelPrince George This geographical representation will facilitate the setting up of 12 “Masonic Improvement Workshops” which will be based on the 27 Districts in the province. Some workshops, such as those in Dawson, Terrace and Whitehorse will involve one District, whilst others, such as those in the Lower Mainland will have a maximum of 3 Districts at any one workshop. At each workshop it is planned to have at least 2 members of the Commission present, who, aided by representatives from the District(s) involved, will facilitate the workshop. The 12 locations are:VictoriaDistricts 1 & 21 ParksvilleDistricts 5, 22 & 27 Vancouver WestDistricts 13, 17 & 24 Vancouver EastDistricts 14, 16 & 26 LangleyDistricts 2, 23, & 25 ChilliwackDistricts 18 & 28 Prince GeorgeDistricts 4N & 4S VernonDistricts 3, 9 & 10 NelsonDistricts 6, 7 & 8 Dawson CreekDistrict 19 TerraceDistrict 12 WhitehorseDistrict 11 Planning for the Masonic Improvement Workshops Members of the Commission have met over the last few months in Kamloops, Vancouver and Barkerville as well as at Grand Lodge to plan the organization of the MIWs. One of our Members, Bro. Bill Cave, has extensive experience in putting on similar workshops for industry. He facilitated a mini workshop in Kamloops in the spring using members of the Commission as well as members of the Committees of Education, Leadership and Research. The results obtained in a very short time were both stimulating and motivating to expand this process as the main forum for interaction with Freemasons in British Columbia. Since that date Bill has drafted a complete facilitators guide and conducted facilitator training sessions for Commission members. The aim of this guide and the training is to ensure as much consistency as possible in the conduct of the workshops throughout the province. No mean task as it is not intended that any Commission member should be present at more than 3 of the 12 workshops. The guide is flexible as it is anticipated that numbers at any one Workshop could vary from 15 to over 100. The Commission members have been allotted to facilitate at 3 different workshops. Each Workshop has a Lead Facilitator whose job it is to contact the D.D.G.M.s of the respective Districts to set up the time and place of the Workshop. It is the D.D.G.M.s who will be hosts to the Workshops. D.D.G.M.s will be asked to provide the names of Brethren in the District who are willing to assist in facilitating the workshop and/or helping with the logistics of booking a location, arranging refreshments, setting up rooms for breakaway groups, materials, etc. Where more than one District is involved a planning meeting with the Brethren involved is envisaged. The Masonic Improvement Workshop The Workshops will be held on a Saturday and are expected to start at 9.00 a.m. and adjourn no later than 4.30 p.m. The outline schedule for the workshops are as follows: 0900-0915Welcome from D.D.G.M.s, statement of purpose, housekeeping etc. 0915-1000Participants will be asked to fill out the form “A History of Change” (Appendix 1) This form asks participants to write down the significant changes that have occurred in a) the world, b) my life and c) Freemasonry for each decade going back 50 years. Each participant will then be asked to write what they have written on flip charts that will be taped to the walls. Of course “In My Life” information need not be shared if it is too personal. Participants will then be asked to make comments on anything that they have observed as particularly noteworthy. The objective of this activity is to get participants energized and exchanging ideas. 1000- 015 Coffee Break 1015-1030 Analyzing our organization (Appendix 2). A short presentation by the facilitator. This will outline the process that the Commission is following. 1030-1115 The participants will be broken up into smaller groups and asked to consider “Today’s Environment for Freemasonry”. They will be asked to consider:
1230-1300 Sub-group participants report back and will be asked to:
1345-1415Coffee and video “Who moved my cheese?” 1415-1630Again sub-groups will break away and brainstorm “Strategies for Improvement”. The key question here is:
Conclusion Although this seems like a very involved exercise it is only the start of the Commission’s work. It is just the beginning of the process. The commission will report the early findings at the Emergent meeting of Grand Lodge on December the 9th and of course at Grand Lodge in June. Some points may be able to be acted on quickly and I am sure that the Grand Master has that in mind. Others will need the approval of Grand Lodge and may be acted on in the medium term. The most difficult points to act on will be those which concern the structure of Freemasonry and these may take a longer time to act upon. For those of you that have experienced major changes at work you know that the only way that change can work is for there to be a consistent commitment to it, particularly from those who lead our Craft. Appendix 1. A history of change (If possible, participants are encouraged to complete this activity prior to the workshop.)Identify Significant Changes that have occurred in your experience–In the last… 10 years 20 years 30 years 40 years 50+ years In the world: In my life: In Freemasonry: Appendix 2. Organizational analysis and design
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